Thank You, Trevor!
by Iggity
Summary: It was all Trevor's fault.


**A/N:** I always thought Neville had a thing for Hermione. Just the way he looked at her and acted around her. I think he liked Ginny, too, but who doesn't? P

**Thank You, Trevor!**

'Dammit,' Neville muttered, looking under the couch in the Gryffindor Common Room. 'Trevor! Come back!'

Neville had been crawling around the Common Room floor searching for his disappearing toad for at _least_ fifteen minutes, and said toad was still missing in action.

'Neville?'

Neville looked up and saw Hermione standing at the foot of the girl's staircase.

'Oh, hey, Hermione,' he said, cursing the slight blush that was crawling up his neck.

Hermione walked over to him.

'I don't know how or why, but Trevor was in my room. In case you were looking for him,' she said, holding a toad out.

'Trevor!' Neville exclaimed. 'Thanks so much, Hermione.'

Hermione smiled and Neville picked Trevor up.

'I think you just let him go. Maybe get an owl,' she said. 'Trevor's been an unsuccessful Houdini since first year.'

'Houdini?'

Hermione smiled and shook her head.

'Muggle thing,' she said. 'Never mind.'

'Oh,' said Neville. 'Well, anyway, thanks again for bringing him down, Hermione.'

'Oh, not a problem, Neville. He was in my way,' she said, grinning.

'He's in _everyone's_ way,' Neville mumbled, glaring at the toad, still torn between loathing it for disappearing every three days, or envying it because it had ended up in Hermione's room.

'Don't say that, Neville,' said Hermione. 'I'm sure he's not in _everyone's_ way. I was just kidding. He was only sitting on my desk.'

Neville looked up at Hermione and shrugged.

'He's always in _my _way,' he said. 'Sometimes I feel like just letting him escape. But then I remember what Gran's always telling me. "Let that toad out of your sight and you'll not get an owl!".'

Hermione giggled slightly and Neville hauled himself up off of the floor and flopped into the couch he had been searching under. Hermione sat beside him.

'So how long do you have to keep him until you can get an owl?'

'Gran said I had to keep him 'til we're out of Hogwarts. Then I can trade him in,' said Neville. 'I dunno if I will, though. After seven years, he's actually starting to grow on me.'

Hermione laughed.

'Like a wart?' she teased.

'Oh, hysterical,' said Neville, rolling his eyes, but smiling. 'No, he's actually growing on me.'

Hermione smiled softly.

'You'd miss him if you traded him,' she said gently.

Neville nodded.

'Yeah,' he said.

Hermione nodded and relaxed back into the corner of the couch, her eyes closing. Neville turned his head to watch her. His eyes roamed over her face and he sighed. Her eyes opened and she lifted her head.

'You OK, Neville?' she asked, reaching forward and touching his arm.

Neville cleared his throat and looked away from her.

'Fine,' he choked. 'I'm fine.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yup.'

Hermione removed her hand and smiled at him.

'All right,' she said.

The two were quiet for a couple minutes, and Neville took the time to remember the first time he had met Hermione.

_'Oh,' said Neville. 'I'm ... I'm sorry. But, um, have you seen a toad?'_

_A girl had looked up from her textbook, her eyebrows furrowed and already in her school robes._

_'Toad?'_

_'Yeah.'_

_'Sorry, no; I haven't.'_

_'Oh. OK, thanks anyway.'_

_Neville stepped out of the compartment and was about to close the door._

_'Wait,' the girl called._

_Neville looked up at her and saw that she was standing, her book closed and laying on the seat where she had been sitting seconds earlier._

_'Yeah?'_

_'I'll help you look for him. I've already read all of the textbooks,' she said matter-of-factly. 'I was just re-reading them to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything.'_

_Neville blinked._

_'OK,' he said. 'Thanks!'_

'You OK, Neville?' Hermione asked, jerking Neville from his thoughts.

Neville gave her a smile and summoned all his courage.

'I'm just wondering something,' he said quietly.

Hermione shifted on the couch and looked at him, her legs crossed.

'What?' she asked, curiosity lacing her voice.

Neville cleared his throat and looked at her.

'Hogsmeade weekend is coming up and I was just wondering, you know, if you were free.'

He had started out strong, but as soon as he hit 'just wondering', his voice failed him and the rest of his question had come out in a murmur. Hermione furrowed her brow and lent a little closer.

'I'm sorry, Neville, I didn't hear you,' she said. 'Could you repeat that?'

Neville swallowed and looked at her.

'I'm wondering if you want to go to Hogsmeade with me,' he repeated.

Hermione's eyes sparkled and she smiled.

'OK,' she said.

Neville blinked.

'What?' he asked.

Hermione gave a small laugh.

'I said OK,' she replied. 'I'll go.'

Neville blinked a few more times, her answer seeping in.

'Seriously?' he asked.

Hermione laughed again.

'Yeah, seriously,' she said. 'I'll go.'

'What ... what about Ron?'

'What about him?'

'Well, what if he asks you?'

'Well, I'm taken for that weekend, aren't I?' Hermione replied, smiling. 'I doubt he'll come around that quickly, though. You know how thick he is. I'm tired of waiting.'

Neville beamed.

'So you'll really go with me?' he asked.

Hermione giggled.

'Yes, Neville, I'll go to Hogsmeade with you next weekend,' she said, still smiling.

'And you won't blow me off if Ron asks you?'

'Definitely not. I stick with whoever asks me first,' she replied. 'I would have said yes when you asked me to the Yule Ball, but Viktor had already asked me.'

Neville nodded.

'Right,' he said. 'OK, so when should we meet? And where?'

Hermione smiled.

'How about here at around nine?' she asked.

Neville nodded quickly.

'OK, sounds good,' he said.

Hermione laughed.

'All right then,' she said. 'It's a date. But now I should probably get back upstairs and finish my homework. Harry and Ron kept me up last night and I completely forgot about Snape's essay.'

'That's not due for another month.'

'I know, but I like to have it finished before the deadline so that I can add things to it as they come to me,' said Hermione.

Neville chuckled and shook his head.

'I'll see you later, Hermione,' he said. 'And thanks again for bringing Trevor down.'

Hermione swooped down and pecked him on the cheek.

'Bye Neville,' she said.

Neville blinked and watched her go, his fingers touching the spot where her lips burned him.

**Fin**


End file.
